Method of and apparatus for bracing and securing merchandise packages for transit



1,624,949 L. F. HlNTZ METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR BRACING AND SECURING MERCHANDISE PACKAGES FOR TRANSIT Filed April 10. 1926 1i R S l 5 my m .n m 4 mf ,Lf u

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f y siii April 199 1927.

Patented pr. 19,192.7.

UNITED STATES n 1,624,94 PATENT OFFICE.

LEROY F. HINTZ, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ALEC J. GERHARD, OFIENLO' PABX, CALIFORNIA.

IETHOD 0F AND APPARATUS FOB BBACING AND SECURING MERCHANDISE PACI- AGES FOR TRANSIT.

appucaaonmea apra 1o, 192e. serial no. 101,076.

This invention relates to -a method and apparatus for bracing and securing merchandise packa es for transit. l The object o the invention is to provide 6 a method of and a paratus for bracing and securing merchan ise packages, which is simple, economical, easily applied. and efficient in use.

A further object ofthe invention is to l0' provide a method and apparatus of the nature referred to, to eiciently brace and secure merchandise packages or articles against relative movement with res ect to each other in a grou or mass assemb y.

A furt er object of the invention is to provide a method of and apparatus of the nature referred to wherein weaving movements of individual packages or articles of merchandise assembled into a grou or mass assembly is prevented or minimize Other objects ofthe invention will appear more fully hereinafter.

The invention consists substantially in the mode of procedure, apparatus and arrange# ment of parts, all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawin and finally pointed out in the appended c aims.

Referring to the drawings and to the various views and reference characters appearing thereon,Fig. 1 is a view in top plan somewhat dia ammatic, showing a portion of a carrier with a plurality of merchandise units or articles assembled, braced and secured together into a unitary group or mass assembly in accordance with the principles of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a broken view in section on the line 2 2, Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are detail views, respectively, in front, side and end elevation of a form of spacer rod suitable for use in carrying out my invention.

Flg. 6 is a view in perspective of a group or unit assembly of individual articles of merchandise braced and secured in accord ance with the principles of my invention.

The same part is designated by the same reference numerals wherever they occur throughout the several views.

The transportation of merchandise bythe usual transporting carriers, such as frei ht cars, trucks, boats, ships lor the like as become a Amatter of very great importance u Iby reason of the injur and damage to such transported merchandise, which has resulted from methods heretofore employed, and for whlch damage, injury and wastage no adeguate remedy has been offered prior to m invention as set forth in my pending applications, er. No. 56,741, filed September 16, 1925 and Ser. No. 68,421., filed November 11, 1925.

The problems encountered in effecting safe transportation of merchandise are very serious ones, because of the rough usage which motor trucks, freight cars, and other carriers are subjected to and the conditions of roadways or trackage and the usual methods 7 of switching and making up freight trains and the handling of such trains. Merchandise transported by such carriers are, of course, subjectedy to the shocks, jars and ]o lts resulting from such methods of handlmg and operating the carriers. The loss from injury and damage encountered in freight or merchandise transportation amounts annually to enormous figures.

In my a plications above referred to, I .o have provi ed a system of merchandise stowage wherein individual packages are djsposed in groups or bound together into a unitary mass or group assembly againstk movement of the individual packages,com 85 posing the group or assembly, whereby the assembly or group of packages is unattached and free from movement, restrained only by the inertia of its own group weight. I have found such a method of stowage and securing of the packages to be highly eflicient and to avoid the very great loss, damage and injury that has heretofore been experienced, as well as the expense incurred in former attempts to prevent such injury and loss through the use of lagging.

I have found, however, that in the case of merchandise packages of various sorts when assembled and bound together, according to the inventions of my former applications, above referred to, there is a tendency of the assembly or bound individual members of the group assemblies to sway, rock or tilt more or less while in transit, by reason of the swaying, rocking, tilting or weaving movements of the carrier. This is particularly true in the case of motor trucks, and freight cars due as I believe to pendulum aclos lil

tion resulting from the operation of the truck or car under various conditions of speed and for various characters of roadways or roadbeds. Likewise, l find the same tendency in ship or boat transportation, due to the rocking ot' the boat in rough waters.

lt is among the special purposes of my present invention to provide a method and apparatus, which is simple, easily applied and eective for overcoming and preventing the ezdects of any tendency to weave, rock or tilt the individual units composing the assembled or bound group of merchandise packages.

Inaccomplishing these special objects and purposes of my present invention, Iemploy, in one form of my invention, binders which are applied adjacent the upper and lower ends or assembled vertically disposed merchandise packages, said binders being spaced and held apart from each other and applied around the assembled group or mass of packages under tens-ion and( maintained under such tension. ll then interconnect the spaced apart binders by bracing them diagonally, the one to the other. lin a further embodiment of my invention, li arrange the diagonal interbracing so as to alternately brace the .upper and lower portions of the assembled packages.

Referring specically to the illustrations of the applications of my invention, as shown in the drawings, 10 designates a carrier which may be a motor truck body, freight' car or other form of merchandise carrier, 11, see Figs. 1 and 2 indicates a plurality of merchandise packages disposed 1n upright `or vertical position and assembled into a group or unit assembly, to the upper and lower end portions of which are applied the binders 12, 13, respectively, said binders being applied around the assembled group of packages and maintained tightly applied therearound under tension, said binders 12, 13 being spaced apart, from each other b suitable spreader rods or-members 1d. T ese spreader members in the articular form shown have their ends ormed into loops 15' to receive the binders 12, 13 respectively. interconnecting the spaced apart binders 12, 13 are diagonally dis osed brace members 16, 17.

practice the upper ends of the diagonal brace members 16, 17 are secured in any suitable manner in loops 18, see Fig. 2 at the upper ends ci certain oi the spacer rods 11i and their lower ends in loops 19, at the lower -ends of other of said spacer members. Under normal circumstances, the greatest tendency oi the units, composing the assembled and bound together group to tilt or rock occurs in those members of the assembled group of packages occupying the front and rear and outer portions or the noname group. That is to sa the elects of any swaying or tilting ten ency that develops in all the packages composing the group or mass assembly, exercise a cumulative eiect upon the upper binder 12 where said binder comes in contact with the outer-members of the assembled group. I have found, however, that by interbracing the spaced apart binders by the diagonal brace members any undue strain imposed upon the upper binder by the tilting or rocking tendency referred to is effectively distributed through the diag.

onal bracing members to the lower binder and said strain is resisted resulting in very eciently holding and maintaining the packages in proper relation in their group assembly,

ln the case of certain kinds of articles of merchandise to be transported, l have found it desirable to continue the interbracing throughout the entire circumference of the assembled packages by disposing the diagonal bracing members to extend continuously from a point at the lower portion of the assembly to a point adjacent theupper portion thereof, and thence down again to the lower portion thereof in continuous direction around the assembled articles. Such an arrangement is shown at llig. 6, wherein the diagonal brace member 20, for example, commencing at an upper end part or corner of the assembled merchandise articles, as indicated at 21. extends diagonally downwardly to a point indicated at 22, thence upwardly diagonally to the point 23 and so on all the way around the assembled articles. An alternately disposedl diagonally arranged brace member 2d is also shown and applied in accordance with my invention.L These diagonal brace members may if desired be interconnected with other binders 25, 26, which are also applied around the assembled merchandise units or articles, and l have shown said brace members 20, 24, so interconnected as at 27, with the transversely applied binders 25.

ln this arrangement, instead of employing spacing members of the nature indicated at 14, in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, merely wooden bars are used with staples forming the eye lets to eect the desired interconnection et the binders. Where the merchandise articles are of more or less rectangular shape thereby forming corners in the assembled mass,the wooden bars 28 may be applied on opposite sides of the corners as means for securing by sta ling or otherwise, the diagonal brace mem ers, which pass around the corners. These likewise form brackets for protecting the merchandise articles at the corner. By employing bars 28, which may, of course, be any other suitable mater rial besides' wood, l avoid the necessity of using any special form of spacer rod and such bars aord means for protecting the merchandise articles against injury through the cutting'v or pressing action of the binders, when tension is applied thereto.

While, I have shown ,a particular form of spacer member in Figures 3, 4 and 5, for use in connection with my present invention, Ido not claim the same herein as this form of spacer member is covered and claimed in my application filed of even date herewith. It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that various changes in the details of structure and arrangement and in the method of applying and disposing the diagonal bracing members may be made Without departurerfrorn the spirit and scope of my invention. It is also obvious that my invention is not to be limited or restricted to the use of single binders, as the same may be duplicated, as is obvious.

It is to be understood that the binders 12, 13 and likewise interbracing members 16, 17, 20, 24, 25 and 26 are to be applied to and around the assembled group of merchandise packages or articles under tension. The tension of these binders may be accomplished in various Ways, as for instance in the manner described in my pending applications Ser. No. 56,741 and No. 68,421, above lreferred to. Any desired type, structure orl character of binder may ybe employed in arryingout my invention and the same is true with regard to the interbracing members. After the binders and interbracing members are sufficiently tensioned around the assembled group of articles or packages their ends are secured' together in any suitable or 'convenient wa Where binder wires are employed for t e `binders and interbracing members, ,said binders .and interbracing members 'are secured in applied position and under tension by inter-twisting them together to form knots 30, thereby retaining the tension upon said binders and interbracing members While in their applied v positions.

Hav/ing now set forth the objects and nature of my invention and structural arrangements and a mode of operation embodying the principles thereof, what I claim as new and useful and of my own invention and desireV to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

laround binders at relatively different portion of the lengths of said articles or packages, and then interconnecting said binders with diagonally disposed braces under tension.` A

2. The method of bracing and securing merchandise packages for transit, which consists in assembling the articles or packking merchandise packages ages, into Ia group or mass assembly, then applying binders tightly around thel assembled group adjacent opposite ends of l said articles or packages and interconnecting said binders With diagonally disposed bracing members.

3. The method of bracing and securing merchandise packages for transit, which consists in assembling the articles or packages into a group or mass assembly, then applying a binder tightly around the as- .Y around an assembled mass of individual yunits or packages of merchandise in spaced apart relation to each other of diagonally disposed bracing members connecting said spaced apart binder means.

5. In an apparatus for bracing and securing merchandise packages for transit, binders disposed in substantially Yparallel relation and arranged to surround and bind together the mass of packages at points adjacent the respective ends thereof, in combination with bracing members interconnecting said binders and disposed in diagonal relation with respect thereto.

6. In an apparatus for bracin and securing merchandise packages` Ltor transit, binders disposed in substantially parallel relation and arranged to surround and bind together the mass of packageskat points adjacent the respective ends thereof, in combination with bracing members interconnecting said binders and disposed in diagonal relationwith respect thereto, said icov binders and interconnecting members .being applied and maintained under tension.

7. In an apparatus for bracin l and securor transit binders arranged lto surround a group oi individual merchandise articles or units, means to space said binders apart from each other in their applied position and diagonally disposed bracing members intercom necting said spaced apart binders.

` 8. In an apparatus for bracn and securi ing merchandise packages or transit, binders arranged to surround a group o individual merchandise articles or units, means to s ace said binders apart from each other in t eir appliedposition and diago-V nally disposed bracing members interconnecting said spaced apart binders, said bracing members and binders being maintained under tension in their applied relation.

' 9. In an apparatus for bracing and securing merchandise packages o r transit les binders arranged to surround a group of iridividuai merchandise articles or units, means to space said binders apart from each other in their applied posiion and diago- 5 nally disposed bracing members intercon-a meeting said spaced apart binders said diagoually disposed bracing members continuing Lesage@ around the group of assembled articles or packages and alternately connecting said binders. l@ In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand on this 1st day of Apri AA.,D.,

LERGY F. HENTZx 

